"The background of the invention" as set out in Pergola et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,743 is also applicable to the present invention and is incorporated by reference as if fully repeated herein, with the following exception: Such background discussion in Pergola et al. concludes with the statement that there is a need to provide the consumer with coffee of a variety of flavors through the use of a predetermined flavored filter. In light of the present invention, such need is better expressed as a need for a predetermined filtering package wherein both filtering and flavoring functions are performed, rather than expressing it as a need for a predetermined flavored filter as such.
As disclosed in Pergola, a flavoring agent is used to change the flavor which would otherwise be imparted by what may be inexpensive coffee. The flavoring agent thereby provides one of an assortment of flavors such as those listed in Pergola at column 7, such listing being incorporated by reference as if fully repeated herein. The coffee's flavor in the absence of the flavoring agent may be referred to as the generic flavor. This is the flavor of the natural brewed coffee. A changed coffee flavor resulting from the presence of a flavoring agent may be referred to as a custom flavor, and the flavoring agent as a custom flavoring; custom flavor or custom flavoring connotes the addition of one or more natural or manufactured flavoring agents. The concept of custom flavoring of a coffee of generic flavor is also disclosed in Loizzi U.S. Pat. No. 5,043,172.
Additional background context is helpful to a ready understanding of the significance of the present invention: The consensus among coffee testers, evolved over many years, is that the best tasting coffee requires not only properly roasted and ground beans, but also entails proper use of water and other proper procedures. Good water, i.e., not chlorinated and not mineral laden, is of particular importance.
Among the proper procedures are proper brewing temperature (typically 195 to 205 degrees F.) to which the coffee beans are exposed for optimum extraction. Too high a temperature leads to extraction of some of the astringent components of the bean, and too low a temperature leads to under extraction resulting in a bland coffee.
Another procedure affecting coffee quality is the filter, which performs three functions. The first is to act as a container to hold the coffee grounds. The second is to act as a "throttle" to control the flow rate. If the flow rate is too high, the coffee is given too short an exposure or steeping time resulting in bland coffee. If, on the other hand, the porosity is too low so that the flow rate is too low, the steeping time becomes too long, producing over-extraction resulting in a harsh, bitter coffee. The third function of the filter is to produce a filtrate by removing or filtering out particulates and other ingredients from the coffee brew.